Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
Poll: Attitudes Toward Gays Changing Fast
posted on December 7, 2012A new USA Today poll suggests that Americans now overwhelmingly support economic rights for same-sex couples. The poll also shows that a majority of people support gay marriage and adoption, a significant change in public opinion. The article considers the reasons for this change in attitude, as well as the future of the movement: “One possible reason behind changing attitudes: Nearly eight in 10 adults say they know a relative, friend or co-worker who is gay, and most describe that relationship as a close one.”
How We Freed Soviet Jewry
posted on December 7, 2012Allison Hoffman at Tablet looks at the 25th anniversary of the 250,000-person protest in Washington that demanded freedom for Jews in the Soviet Union who were denied permission to leave. Hoffman tells the history of the march through interviews with its organizers and other important figures. Hoffman writes, “Perhaps most impressively, it mobilized the American Jewish community—young and old, secular and religious, liberal and conservative—behind a single cause to a degree that had never been seen before, and has not been seen since.”
Protestant Militants in Northern Ireland Attack Middle-ground Party; Offices, Home Damaged
posted on December 7, 2012Days before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s planned visit to Northern Ireland, Protestant militants have responded violently to a new law that reduces the number of days that the British flag will fly atop the Beflast city hall, reports the Associated Press. Protestors stormed city hall after the vote, as well as attacked the office and a home connected to the most compromise-minded political party. The renewed conflict “underscores how divided Northern Ireland remains despite the broad success of a peace process that has stopped paramilitary violence but done little to bring down barriers between rival British Protestant and Irish Catholic communities.”
Waking up the Church to Gender Injustice
posted on December 7, 2012At Christianity Today, Marian V. Liautaud interviews Nicholas Kristof, journalist, columnist at The New York Times, and an author, along with his wife, with a mission to expose the many ways in which women are treated unequally around the world. Kristof believes that religious institutions could play an important part in helping alleviate the current problem, particularly through education. Kristoff says, “Nobody argues against education, so it’s a good place for the church to find common ground with other organizations.”
Catholics to be Allowed into the Royal Club (Sort of)
posted on December 7, 2012For CNN, Matthew Fitzgerald writes about England’s plan to repeal a 300-year-old law that barred British kings and queens from marrying Roman Catholics. Fitzgerald considers the history of the relationship between Protestants and Catholics in the country. Antonia Fraser, a British historian and writer, said, “The Catholic question has not really occurred in terms of the heir (before). It’s not to say that it wouldn’t occur, and I think that if they are altering things it’s a good idea because it is a slur on Catholics … and I think they are right to alter it.”
Mexican Supreme Court Rules for Marriage Equality
posted on December 7, 2012At Salon, J. Lester Feder reports that a unanimous ruling from the Supreme Court of Mexico will allow for the marriage of same-sex couples in all 31 of the country’s states. The ruling, partly based on a February ruling from the Inter-American Court, could have importance beyond Mexico’s borders, particularly in the United States. Of the decision, Hunter Carter, a lawyer in New York representing same-sex couples, said, “It will greatly reinforce arguments in the U.S., Chile, and in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, that equal access to marriage for committed same-sex couples is a human right.”
Christians in Kurdish Region of Iraq Faring Well, Say Experts
posted on December 7, 2012At a panel focusing on the state of Christians in the Kurdish region of Iraq, experts say that the group is being treated fairly, reports Michael Gryboski at The Christian Post. Robert A. Destro, an organizer of the panel, believes that Christians in Iraqi Kurdistan are an important resource to the United States. Destro said, “They’re the ones who we can most easily speak with, the ones we can most easily support, and the ones who live in the most relative freedom.”
Cheering U.N. Palestine Vote, Synagogue Tests Its Members
posted on December 6, 2012At The New York Times, Sharon Otterman and Joseph Berger consider the reactions to an email emphatically supporting the U.N.’s recognition of Palestine from rabbis at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, a popular synagogue in New York City. Many congregants found the letter to be “shocking,” while others admired the synagogue’s braveness. On the subject, Gary Rosenblatt, editor and publisher of The Jewish Week, said, “I think the sense of a need for a unified front in the American Jewish community is breaking down.”
Gallup Survey Finds a Majority of Americans Still Religious
posted on December 6, 2012Despite recent reports of the secularization of the United States, a recent Gallup survey has found that an “overwhelming majority” of Americans still associate with a religion, reports David Sessions at The Daily Beast. While the country is undoubtedly becoming increasingly removed from religion, the survey underlines the fact the process is slow. Sessions writes, “[Even] as the headlines prophesy an emerging secular nation, America will remain religious for a long time.”
Have Obama and Bibi Made Up?
posted on December 6, 2012For Tablet, Lee Smith looks at the relationship between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Despite a rather tumultuous past, Smith believes that Obama’s response to Israel’s latest conflict demonstrates his full support of Netanyahu. Smith writes, “Some predicted that a second-term Obama would exact a certain amount of revenge against a world leader who openly challenged and even lectured him in the White House—but it appears the opposite has happened.”